Two Books about moms (absent moms)

Two books I read that fit into the “mother” theme are Jakeman by Deborah Ellis and Harry Sue by Sue Stauffacher, Although the latter author was new to me, I have loved Deborah Ellis’s work for a long time. She is the author of the “Breadwinner” trilogy, and her book Bifocal, which she co-authored with Eric Walters, has been nominated for next year’s Snow Willow awards in Saskatchewan. Jakeman is about Jake and his sister, Shoshona, who are off on the bus to visit their mom in prison. It struck me as rather bizarre that these children set out late at night to catch a bus with only one social worker for supervision. Jake imagines himself to be a superhero, Jakeman, who will be all the things he can’t be in real life; brave and daring. He has also decided that there has been a vast misunderstanding about the reason for his mother’s incarceration, so writes regular letters to the governor, asking for her release. Through a wild series of events, the children are left to guide the bus on their own and Jake is actually able to confront the governor in person with his request, only to find that the governor really doesn’t care.

Harry Sue, on the other hand, is a girl in a foster home who has decided that the only way she can find her mom is to become a criminal as well and be sent to jail. Although her intentions are good, her heart is much too compassionate towards the other children in the home, and she is constantly diverted from her plans by having to rescue one of them. I would love to use both of these boks with a class and compare these 2 heroes.

Some other great titles I have read on this theme:

Losing Forever- Gayle Friesen

So B. it: a Novel- Sarah Weeks

Out of Focus- Margret Buffie

Smell of Paint- Sheryl McFarlane

Peacekeepers- Dianne Linden

Raspberry House Blues- Linda Holeman

Escape From Memory - Margaret Peterson Haddix

Briar Rose- Jane Yolen

This is an extraordinary book, to say the least. Expecting this to be an inventive re-telling of the fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, I was taken aback, enchanted, and mesmerized by the tangent this writer chose. Far from being a typical fairy tale, this is truly more of an untold Holocaust story. Gemma and her sisters grow up hearing the story of Briar Rose from their grandmother; in which she is the enchanted princess who is awakened by a kiss. Although many parts of the story leave the sisters questioning, they think that perhaps their grandmother was indeed a princess in Europe. But when their grandmother dies and leaves only a few obscure items; a newspaper clipping and a faded photo, Gemma realizes that it is time to really investigate her grandmother’s past. Her path leads her to Poland and to a story that is almost too hard to hear, but one which interweaves with the story her grandmother has always told. This can be read by young adults but I would definitely recommend it for adults as well. An amazing story from a very talented writer.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp- Rick Yancey

This reminded me somewhat of the Alex Rider books, only with an even more unlikely hero. Alfred is orphaned and goes to live with his uncle. He is a large, unwieldy boy who does not seem to have any particular skills. This all changes when his uncle enlists his help in stealing a sword, which turns out to be the sword Excalibur. Why is it that Alfred’s power seems to grow when he wields the sword? Why are knights and thugs all after him? Who is Alfred anyway?

This is a page-turner adventure for those of you who like a little of the mystical thrown into modern day life.

You might also enjoy Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton.

Schooled- Gordon Korman

Well-known author of the Bruno and Boots series, the Island, Dive and Everest trilogies, Korman has written a funny and yet heart-warming novel about a young man, Capricorn, who has been raised in a commune and is suddenly thrust into the real world. When Capricorn’s hippie granmother breaks her hip, Capricorn has to attend school for the first time in his life. The kids who run Claverage Middle School always choose the biggest geek to be the school president, and then proceed to make his life sheer torture. Hugh Wionkleman has the job sewn up until Cap arrives on the scene in his home-made sandals, hemp clothes and his habit of performing tai chi on the front lawn. Who could be a better president than that? Capricorn is duly elected and then is subjected to all the worst forms of cruelty and bullying. Where most students would break, Cap seems to be unfazed by them until one act goes a little too far. Prepare for some good laughs, some sad moments and the surprising ending.

Recent Readings and Recommends

The Bonemender’s Oath- Holly Bennett

This sequel to The Bonemender does not disappont and the next one is on my reading list. This one centers more around Derkh, whom Gabrielle has rescued and healed, but is really one of the enemy they’ve been fighting. He finds himself in a strange position- torn between these people who treat him with real friendship, and the knowledge of where he really thinks he belongs.

 I have been reading some newer novels for a holocaust unit. Here are some of them.

Milkweed- Jerry Spinelli

 What an amazing book and fascinating perspective. It is told from the viewpoint of a ragamuffin street urchin who believes his name is Stopthief because that’s all anyone has ever called him. He is adopted by a group of orphans who thieve as a way of existence. He befriends a little Jewish girl and wishes he could be Jewish as well without any understanding of what the ramifications might be. As he accompanies this family into the Warsaw ghetto, we are  given us a very unique perspective on what life there might have been like.

Behind the Bedroom Wall- Laura E. Williams

Another book with a unique perspective, this is told from the viewpoint of a German girl who is brainwashed by the Fuhrer and through participating in the Nazi Youth group. When she finds out that her parents are hiding Jews, she has to decide where her loyalties lie. This wa s page-turner.

The Righteous Smuggler- Debbie Spring

This is also from the viewpoint of a non-Jew; a boy named Hendrik who has Jewish friends and is appalled at their treatment as the Nazis move into Holland. Hendrik and his father want to help in some way and decide they can use their fishing boat to smuggle Jewish families.

A is For Angst- Barbara Haworth-Attard

In choosing materials for my Young Adult shelf (for grades 7&8), is the dilemma of appropriateness versus interest. I believe that balance can be achieved by authors and I think has been successfully melded in A is For Angst. Although the theme of coming-of-age for a young woman and all that implies is still foremost, it is handled in a sensitive, humorous and realistic manner. Teresa is ready for love- or thinks she is- but is love ready for Teresa? Even a condom is too embarrassing to be called by its name- she calls it a condiment. As she learns in health education, it’s better not to peel the banana before practicing putting on the “condiment.’ There are lots of humorous moments but also realistic looks at sibling interactions, best friends vs boyfriends and the love and embarrassment often felt for other family members.

This never becomes overly graphic in its content and I would certainly recommend it for the more mature readers.

Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen- Glen Huser

Doesn’t the title alone just grab you? Looking through my group of Snow Willow books, I realized that this was the other one I needed to comment on. In a time when teenage angst is at an all-time high in young adult novels, it was refreshing to find one that found a way to put some humour into it as well. Tamara has been in many foster homes and when she decides she wants to take a modelling course, she knows Shirl and Herb will never be able to fork over the fee. Tamara is also frustrated with the community service project her teacher has dreamed up- being paired with an old person in a nursing home. Both of these characters are well-drawn with lots of humour interjected throughout as the pair strike up an unlikely alliance in an attempt to both get what is important to them. Tamara needs money for her modelling course and the “Wrinke Queen” needs a driver to take her on a trip to see her favourite operas. Will it work or will they kill each other first?

One of the things I miss about not being in a classroom setting is the lack of opportunity to read novels aloud to older students. I believe this would be a fun read-aloud with lots of room for discussion and would also fit well with the emphasis we have on teaching the moral intelligences. It would be fun to make comparisons to other books about unlikely friendships, both novels and picture books. It would be fun to write about a personal unusual relationship we may have encountered in our lives as well.

But aside from all that, if promoting great reads is what we, and the Willows, are all about, the Skinnybones and the Wrrinkle Queen fits the mandate well.

My huge apologies- apparently I really wanted this book to be on this year’s Snow Willow list and thus assumed it was. So just call it a really great read!!

Observations

Although I did not post anything this wekend, I spent some time ruminating on the purpose of blogs. As simple on-line journals, their purpose seems quite straightforward- a personal diary. But as I subscribe to a number of blogs through my RSS feed (which I learned about at last year’s conference), I realize that blogs have as many purposes as authors. So then I thought about what my purpose would be- aside from the fact that this is an assignment to enable us to become comfortable with the blogging format. As you will see from the title of my blog, books are always going to be my focus. So I believe that if I continue this blog after our course is over, it may turn into a rather rambly discourse on what I’m reading and enjoying now; both children and adult literature. Not that I have much time for the adult stuff at the moment.

The other concern for many bloggers seems to be- I write, but will anyone read and comment? Or should we care? So this blogging experience should help me to decide what my priority will be- blogging in such a way and with content others may wish to read or as a way to contain some of my scattered thoughts and memories and make them more useful personally. But enough of that for now!! On to books!

I was saddened last week to read of Madeline L’Engle’s death. I have admired her and loved her works for a long time and had the privilege of meeting her when she came to Bookworm’s Den in Saskatoon. I have a much treasured, autographed copy of a Wrinke In Time. My son in Ontario e-mailed me a link to a site with a review of her life, as we read many of her books at the same time.

This weekend’s read was Eyes of A Stalker- a Shelby Belgarden mystery writtten by Valerie Sherrard. I thoroughy enjoyed this  light, fast-paced novel- totally appropriate for our YA section 0f the library. Valerie is the author of Sam’s Light, which was a Snow Willow nomination several years ago and a very powerful novel.

So that’s it for today. I have not included comments on any other of this year’s Snow Willow titles- at this point, they can be found on my library blog  

Keturah and Lord Death- Martine Leavitt

Author- Martine Leavitt 

I read this award-winning book last year as part of the Snow Willows selection committee, and as usual, forgot many of the details except for the fact that I absolutely loved it and couldn’t put it down. So I have started re-reading it and am every bit as fascinated the second time around. I also read many of the reviews on-line and started to puzzle somewhat about what made this book so attractive to me. I do not do a lot of self-analysis as I read, so this will be a good exercise for me. In thinking about this question, it became evident that as a rather fanciful young girl, with a very vivid imagination, this is the type of reading that has always appealed to me- a fairy-tale, a love story, and strong vivid characters. It reminded me quickly of what Robin McKinley and Gail Levine have accomplished in turning some of the familiar fairy tales into full-fledged novels. I loved them; not only for the rich detail, but for the well-developed characters. It also reminded me of The Princess Bride, a long-time favourite; which tells you that I am also a sucker for “true love”; and that is another story in itself!
When Keturah chases the famed hart into the forest, she becomes lost. At the end of the three days, her strength waning, Lord Death comes for her, as expected. What is unexpected is the dialogue which ensues. Keturah does not wish to die and attempts to bargain for her life, but Lord Death is cold and implacable. He offers her a reprieve, that she choose anyone else from the village to take her place, which she refuses to do; showing her kind and generous nature. She then begins to relate to him a story of love, that no one, not even Lord Death can overcome. With that, she begins to pique his interest and she promises to tell him the rest of the story the next day. He allows her this option but also says that the end of the day, he will take her as his consort (isn’t that a great word?) unless she is able to find and marry her true love in one day. And thus, as her friend Gretta puts it- “we go a man-hunting.”